Speaker: Dr Azmi Sharom

Date: 31 October 2017 Time: 5:30 PM

Finishes: 31 October 2017 Time: 7:00 PM

Venue: Brunei Gallery Room: Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre

Type of Event: Special Lecture

SOAS School of Law is pleased to announce that this year’s SOAS Law Inception Lecture will be given by SOAS PhD alumnus Dr Azmi Sharom (LLB Sheffield, LLM Nottingham, PhD SOAS).

Dr Azmi Sharom is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya where he has taught for 27 years. He currently lectures Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law and Conflict of Laws and is Head of the Faculty of Law’s Human Rights Research Group. He is also currently President of the Academic Staff Union of University Malaya.

Azmi convenes the Southeast Asian Human Rights Scholars Network (SEAHRN) and is the Chairperson of the Publications and Public Relations Committee of the Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in ASEAN/Southeast Asia programme (a programme under SEAHRN and the ASEAN Universities Network-Human Rights Education).

Among his many publications are two edited collections - Human Rights Outlook in South East Asia 2014-2015 (SHAPE-SEA, 2016) and Human Rights and Peace in Southeast Asia, Series Vol 5: Pushing the Boundaries (Southeast Asian Human Rights Studies Network, 2016).

Aside from his academic work, he writes two fortnightly newspaper columns in national newspapers. These are the English language The Star and the Chinese language Sin Chew Jit Poh. His newspaper and magazine articles have been compiled into a book entitled Brave New World: Greatest Hits. He has more recently begun hosting an online video show for TheStarTV, also called Brave New World. Although equally at home talking about football or films, nearly all his media work focuses on the pressing issues of democracy, human rights, secularism, the constitution, law and governance. Dr Azmi Sharom continues to write, comment and speak about these issues despite having been charged with sedition in 2014, a charge dropped in 2016.

This is an annual public lecture to be delivered at the beginning of each academic session by a notable friend of SOAS School of Law, addressing a topical subject of general public interest which relates to the role of law in society in a broad sense. The inception lecture is intended to serve as an inspiration for our students, contribute to public debate and enhance our academic environment. The lecture is open to all new and returning students, academics, practitioners and the general public.